"David Ortiz came back after spending about six weeks on the disabled list and we thought it was only going to be a week. He got two hits the first two times up, drove in a couple runs; we were off to the races,'' Valentine said. "Then he realized that this trade meant that we’re not going to run this race and we’re not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there."

The trade of Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers, along with injured Carl Crawford and utility player Nick Punto, was seen as Boston's concession statement.

This is the first time it has been suggested Ortiz did not return from the Achilles injury because he didn't think it was worth it.

Ortiz' only game after the mid-July injury came on Aug. 24. He had two hits in a 4-3 win over Kansas City at Fenway Park.

It was announced after the game that Ortiz had felt the injury again while running out one of his hits.

That was the same night the Red Sox and Dodgers came to the brink of their trade, which was made official the following day, Aug. 25. The Red Sox were 60-66 at the time of the trade, and 9-27 thereafter.

Major League Baseball discourages teams from making major announcements that would turn attention from the World Series. That was one reason the Red Sox introduced John Farrell as manager on Tuesday, the day before Game 1 of the Detroit-San Francisco World Series.

The negotiating sides have agreed on the two-year, which was important to the 36-year-old Ortiz. The Red Sox would like to pay less than the $25 million to $30 million Ortiz is seeking.

The Achilles strain kept Ortiz out of all but one of the final 72 Red Sox games. Prior to the injury, he was enjoying an All-Star season with 23 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .318 average.

Ortiz' injury contributed to the second-half collapse of the Red Sox, who finished 69-93. It was Boston's worst season since 1965.

The tailspin cost Valentine his job as manager. Valentine is stoking the fires of controversy again with his comments on "Costas Tonight,'' that Ortiz "decided not to play,'' and that this contributed to Boston's tumble, according to the New York Daily News.